Refrigerating apparatus



NOV. 19360 J- G; nEmieEnA'rme wnings Original Filed e t. 30, 1930 2 Sheetsl-Sheet 2 AHO NEYs.

Patented Nov. l7,

; vUm rla o STATES] PATENT FFjlCE nnmronnarnvo minim Jesse GrKing, Dayton, Ohio, assignor, by memo assignments, to General Motors .Corporatloma [corporation of Delaware v Application September so,- 1930; Serial no. pisses Renewed October 5, 1935 -Glaims. (01. 02-4) Thisinvention relates to refrigerating apparatus and more particularly to a control mechanism therefor.

It is one of the objects of the invention to pro- 5 vide in a refrigerating system of the type in which a. control mechanismis mounted upon a resilient base or support, an improved auxiliary means which may be operated from a convenient point to give a considerable range of modification of 19 thetemperature limits normally supplied by the control mechanism.

It is a further object of the invention to provide I improved operating means mounted on the out-, side of a refrigerator cabinet in a convenient 1 location togetherwith improved means for connecting the operating means and control mechanism of the refrigerator for modifying the operation of the control means to provide different refrigerating temperatures according to the users 2 needs.

cabinet which is connected to the control mechanism of "a refrigerator for providing a defrosting cyc e.

" invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of.

the present invention is clearly shown.

.- In the drawings:

. Fi l is a front view of a refrigerator cabinet having a portion broken away disclosing one embodiment of the present invention;

35 handle and dial of my invention;

, Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of my control mechanism shown in Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a section shown on line 4-4 of Fig. 3,

and

anism shown in Fig. 2.

Referring to the drawings and more particularly to Fig. 1, there is shown a refrigerator'cabi net 20 having a food storage compartment 2| in the machinery compartment 22, a'horizontal base 23 is resiliently supported on either side by coil 5 springs. which rest upon brackets 25 fastened to the framework of the cabinet. Upon this resiliently supportedbese 23 is mounted a compressor .20 which is driven by. a motor 21 and a belt 38. The compressor 28 withdraws refrigerant from the evaporator Hill located in the food Another object of the invention is to provide operating means on the exterior of arefrigerator Further objects and advantages of the present Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the operating I Fig. 5 is a section through the operating mechits upperportion and a compressor or machinery compartment 22 in its lower portion.- Within- 21 by the control or switch mechanism which '10 is also mounted upon the resiliently supported base 23.. The control .mechanism 33 is more perticularly shown .in Fig. 3 and comprises a pressure operated device or switch mechanism which I makes and breaks the circuit of the electric .15 motor 21 which drives the compressor 26. The operation of the pressure control switch is modi-- fled by a'resilient adjusting means and is also provided with an auxiliary adjusting means independent of the first means andadapted to be 90 positioned manually and whose function is to modify the action of the first means. The pressure responsive control mechanism 33 consists of a hollow-metallic bellows 38 which is sealed at the topand which is connected at the '25 bottom by means-of conduit 4| to the circuit of I the refrigerator system. An operating member or lever pivoted on the ears 43 of the elevated platform 4|) follows the movement of the belv lows 38 by being pivoted thereto b'y a pin 44. 3

Thedouble lever "straddles the lever 42 and is v v pivoted thereto by-a pin 52. One end of the lever 41 is connected to one of the switch contacts 4! by a link 48 cooperating switch contact 55 mounted -.'on the base'ilof'the control mechanism. A snap-action of the contact 45 with respect to the I contact 46' is provided by means of a cam system which includes the hardened steel nose 49 fastened to the outer end of the'leverfl against which a hardened stee'l'roller. so is biased by a carrier El and a spring 52a;

After. the pressure builds up within the flexible metallic bellows II the latter expands and since the lever 42 is pivoted to thisbellows by the pin a 44 and fulcrumed to the supporting frame of the device as at 43, it is evident that the bellows will raise the operating lever 42. 1 h The upward movement of-the lever 42 is resisted by a yieldable adjustable system comprising a coil spring carried withinan adjustable casing '60 62 and bearing against a plunger I58 which acts against the extremity Cl ofthe lever 42. When the pressure decreases and the bellows II collapses. downward movement of the lever will be byacoilsprlngu whose'tensionmay be 54 regulated by nuts 55 carried on a vertical -threaded rod 56 pivoted to'lever 42. A balancing spring 51 adjusted by nuts 58 is used on the opposite side of the base 89 of the device for resisting the tension of the spring 54. The springs .64'and 51 as well as the resilient adjusting sys-' tem comprising the plunger 53 and an adjustable cap 62 are provided for preferably so adjusting what might be termed normal preadjustment,

. the plunger 53 affects the starting pressure but not the stopping pressure. The cap 62 is therefore 'a starting adjustment. The temperature provided by the'meehanism thus described is suffloient to cool foodstuffs stored in the usual compartments of the cabinet cooled by the cooling unit or evaporator I08.

The apparatus is usually adjusted at the fac- 'tory or in the field by the service man for such normal operation but suitably tensioning the springs 54 and 51 as well as the resilient adjusting system 62 and 58 and in such condition the lever 42 will have its upward and downward.

' movements resisted so that it will open and close the circuit of the driving motor 24 only at the maximum'and minimum pressure temperature points for which the tension corresponds. 'It is evident that by interposing a resistance to the downward descent of the lever 42 the operation of the switch contacts will be delayed sothat the system will continue operating for a longer period of time, thus prolonging the cooling cycle of the system. Likewise after the resistance to the downward descent of the lever 42 is increased, it

will require a greater effort on the part of the diaphragm 88 to pull the lever down into contact breaking position (the descent of the lever 42 causing the raising oi contact 45 away from the contact ,46, thus breaking the circuit).

For the purpose ofproviding a plurality of ranges of temperature at will, means are provided for interposing such a resistance. To this end an L shaped bracket 18 is fastened to the base 89 of the controlmechanism to which is fastened one end of a rotatable shaft II. Upon the projecting end of this rotatable shaft is mounted a sprocket '|2 spaced from the L shaped bracket 18 by a long collar 18. The shaft H has its projecting end slotted and carried a. coil spring 14 thereon which has one end hooked into the slot in the shaft II and which has its other end projecting so as to engage the protruding end of the pin 52 which is carried by the lever 42. The pin 52 is engaged by the spring in such a manner that when the lever 42 descends the pin 52 engaging the'protruding end of the coil spring 14 will have its downward descent resisted to an extent corresponding to the degree to which the spring 14 is wound. The spring I4 carried by the shaft 'Il may be wound by the retation of sprocket I2 so that a correspondingly greater tension is caused to bear against the pin 52 and therefore against the downward descent of the lever 42. Y

After the refrigerator has been in operation for an appreciable period, a considerable amount of frost will collect around the coils of the evaporator III and act substantiallyas an insulator.

sprocket wheel 12 as shown in Fig. 4.

separate the switch contacts -In order to defrostthe refrigerating element or evaporator it is necessary to shut down the operation or to discontinue the operation of the compressor and this is effected by completely blocking the movement of the control mechanism by interposing an obstruction to the downward movement of the lever 41. For this pur-- pose a blocking arm 16 is attached to the The sprocket wheel may be turned clockwise to cause the blocking arm 16 to strike the projecting pin 98 and separate the contacts 45 and 46 to stop the compressor. 7

According to 'the present invention, means are provided for turning the sprocket wheel 12,

. the shaft II, and consequently the coil spring 14 and the blocking arm 16 from a convenient but remote point on the refrigerator cabinet. To this rear portion of the shaft 82 as well as the bushing 8| are positioned in this recess. A sprocket wheel 85. similar to the sprocket 12, is mounted upon the rear end of the shaft 82. For the purpose of holding the sprocket 85 in any of a plurality of positions, a plurality of apertures 86 are provided in the plate 88 arranged in a circle about the shaft 82. A stud 81 carries a spring I pressed'ball 88 which projects into one of the apertures 86 and holds the shaft 82 in the desired position. An ornamental dial 89 is provided on the exterior of the refrigerator cabinet 28 for cooperating with the operating handle 83 to indicate the various ranges oftemperature as well as the defrosting position The sprocket chain 98 passes. from the sprocket 85 and has a wire or cable connected to either end, these wires or cables being designated 9| and 92. These wires 9| and 92' extend through a pair of conduits 98 and 94 which pass down-- wardly through a passage in the corner post of 'the refrigerator cabinet 26 and which have their ends clamped to a post 95 which is mounted upon the base 89 of the control mechanism 83. The lower end of the wires 8i and 92 are fastened to the ends of a second sprocket chain 96 which passes around the sprocket I2 to operate the coil spring 14 and the blocking arm 16' to interpose a resistance to the downward descent of the lever 42 or to break the switch contacts of the control mechanism.

By turning the operating handle 83 to the various positions marked 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 upon the dial 89 shown in Fig. 2, various ranges of temperature may be provided since the sprocket chain 90, the wires 9| and 92, and the sprocket chain 96 are moved to tension the spring I4 which in these positions bear against the pin 52 convenient and attractive means whereby the resiliently mounted control mechanism of a refrigerating apparatus may be operated from a remote point to provide various ranges of temperature and to provide a defrosting means.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms I might be adopted, all coming within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. Refrigerating apparatus including a refrigerator cabinet, a base resiliently supported by the cabinet, refrigerant supply means supported upon the base, control means for the refrigerant supply means also supported upon the base, and means for modifying the operation of the control means including a rotatable operating handle mounted on a wall of thecabinet, a casing fastened to the control means and extending to a point adjacent said operating handle and a wire enclosed in the casing for connecting the operating handle to the control means.

2. Refrigerating apparatus including a refrig erator cabinet, a base resiliently supported by the cabinet, refrigerant supply means supported upon the base, control means for the refrigerant supply means also supported upon the base, and means for modifying the operation of the control means including an operating handle mounted on a portion of the cabinet, means for engaging the control mechanism and mounted on the control mechanism, and means connecting said last mentioned means and the operating handle including a plurality of sprockets, and a sprocket chain. a

3. Refrigerating apparatus including a control 'mechanism, a shaft having means thereon for modifying the operation of the control mechanism, a second shaft having an operating handle thereon, positioned remote from said first shaft,

a gear connected to each shaft and a chain for rotatlvely connecting the gears.

4. Refrigerating apparatus including a cabinet having a door and a door lamb therefor having a passage therein extending vertically along one side of the door opening, a refrigerating system including-an evaporating means for cooling the interior of the cabinet, a control mechanism having means for controlling the refrigerating system for maintaining the evaporating means at a normal average temperature, said control mechanism also having means for controlling the system for obtaining temperatures other than normal of the evaporating means, said control mechanism being positioned within the outer walls of the cabinet,,a movable means having an extending through the door jamb, a refrigerating system including an evaporating means for cooling the interior of the cabinet, a control mechanism having means for controlling the refrigerating system for maintaining the evaporating means at a normal average temperature, said control mechanism also having means for controlling the -system for obtaining temperatures other than normal of the evaporating means, saidcontrol mechanism being positioned within the outer walls of the cabinet, a movable means having an operating handle positioned on the exterior of the cabinet, means for indicating the normal setting .of. the operating handle and a setting other than normal, and means extending through the passage for connecting the movable means and the control mechanism for obtaining the normal average temperature and a temperature other than normal of the evaporating means. f

JESSE G. KING. 

